Actress Lee Yoo Bi has candidly reflected on one of the most challenging periods of her career, revealing how health issues and harsh public criticism affected her while filming her first leading role. The actress shared her story in a recent video uploaded to her YouTube channel, where she reunited with her longtime stylist over dinner to reminisce about the hardships they faced together.
During their conversation, Lee Yoo Bi’s stylist became emotional while recalling that difficult chapter. “You couldn’t work for about two or three years. We cried together, wondering when you’d be able to work again.” This heartfelt exchange prompted Lee Yoo Bi to open up about the struggles she endured before making her acting comeback.
Lee Yoo Bi explained that she had taken a two-year hiatus due to an illness. As she prepared to return to the screen, she also suffered a back injury, leaving her physically and mentally drained while filming her first lead role in the fantasy historical drama Scholar Who Walks the Night. “It was my first lead role, and I had completely lost my confidence,” she admitted.
She recalled barely remembering the filming process due to her poor condition. “I don’t even know how I managed to film Scholar Who Walks the Night. I was just going back and forth to the set. I wasn’t in the right state of mind, so how could I have delivered a good performance?”
Lee Yoo Bi also addressed the criticism she received regarding her appearance during the drama’s broadcast. She revealed that the medication she was taking caused significant swelling. “People said, ‘Why does the female lead look like that?’ But of course my face was swollen. I was taking steroids, and even my hands became incredibly swollen.”
The actress explained that the physical side effects of her medical treatment became another source of public scrutiny at a time when she was already struggling with her health and self-esteem.
Although Lee Yoo Bi faced heavy criticism for both her performance and appearance during the drama’s run, her recent confessions have given fans a deeper understanding of what she was going through behind the scenes. Her candid recollections highlight the immense pressure actors face while balancing demanding filming schedules with serious health challenges—many of which remain hidden from the public until years later.
